She was born Feb. 10, 1904, in Atchison County, the daughter of William H. and Ida Sacks Ruttan. She had been a resident of Lawrence since 1937, before living in Norton.

Ms. Ruttan received her bachelor of art's degree in Latin from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1925 and her master's degree in Educational Psychology from the Kansas University in 1939.

She was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, the Retired Teachers Assn., Daughters of the American Revolution and Pi Lambda Theta sorority. She was also a 50-year member of O.E.S. in western Kansas. She was elected to Kansas Teachers Hall of Fame in 1985.

Ms. Ruttan was a Latin and English teacher at Lawrence High School for 44 years. She retired in 1969.